The Moment of Truth
by That Hedgie Over There
Summary: I invited an old acquaintance over to Empire City to play a highly controversial game show. All he had to do was answer twenty-one increasingly personal yes-or-no questions with the truth. During the game, I uncovered the hidden reality about the war against Infinite, an unlikely alliance with the ultimate mercenary, and ultimately, what became of Infinite after the war.


_Working titles: "Get to Know My Sonic OC", "Is My Sonic OC a Gary Sue", "Sonic Forces My OC to Tell the Truth"_

* * *

 _"Tonight, in this chair, the only thing that separates our participant from $500,000 is twenty-one questions, and his ability to answer each of those questions with the Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth._

 _"Is there an honest person left on Mobius? I'm Sonic the Hedgehog, and the time has come to face... The Moment of Truth."_

Following my usual pre-recorded preface, the opening sequence of the program was played for the television audience. Meanwhile, I was waiting impatiently for the camera guy to cue me reading off the disclaimer. Finally he pointed once towards me, and off I went.

"Prior to tonight's show, all of our participants have undergone a rigorous polygraph exam. They don't know the results of that test, but if they tell the truth, they can win up to half a million dollars. And if, for any reason, they feel they may not have been truthful during the polygraph test, they can change their answers tonight."

On any other episode, I would've immediately introduced our incoming participant, but this episode happened to mark a special occasion that required an extended introduction.

"For the finale of our unprecedented fifth series, we've lined up what is sure to be the most talked-about participant we'll have ever had. But time is of the essence, so let's meet him now."

After I had finished speaking in front of the camera, I left it to a robotic female voice that sounded somewhat like Rouge the Bat to read off the contestant's biography. I was particularly looking forward to this.

 **Zenith the Hedgehog is a former military mechanic now working as a 3D animator. He was the last surviving member of a fierce mercenary group before joining the Resistance during the Great War to help them take back the world. He is the last prototype of the infamous Ultimate Lifeform experiment. He now lives in a basement in Mazuri with a female roommate. He was asked over one hundred questions by a polygraph examiner. Twenty-one have been chosen for tonight.**

"Zenith the Hedgehog," I began to announce as the camera shifted its focus onto the silhouette of the incoming participant, "this is your Moment of Truth!"

The studio audience greeting him warmly as he stepped into everyone's view, revealing his true colors, a dullish-red-furred creature walked swiftly into the heart of the studio, his fake-looking mauve hair brushed back behind him through air resistance, as I and an empty swivel chair awaited him. He was wearing a pair of sweat pants that contrasted sharply with the small patch of white fur gracing his chest. This was Zenith the Hedgehog, truly a towering presence, and although he was relatively mild-mannered, his giant stature was enough to put me off ease a little. Nevertheless, I used the surprisingly little small-talk skill I had to make him feel as comfortable as possible — at least, for now — as he took the empty seat in front of me.

"This is Zenith the Hedgehog," I started reading off from the participant's info card I had been given before the show started. "Yes, _the_ Zenith the Hedgehog. He's a 'hedgehog, deal with it'." I swear that's exactly how the card read. "Originally from Mazuri. And that's where you're living right now?"

"I am indeed," was Zenith's first reply, given in his slight Mazurite accent.

"Fantastic. So what makes you think you're not an idiot?"

Just kidding. What I actually said was, "Do you think you can tell the truth tonight?"

"That's what I plan to do."

I nodded. "You know it's not gonna be easy. We asked you over a hundred questions before the show, and any of them could come up again during tonight's proceedings." I held another card containing the first question in my hand as I went on with the rules of the game. "No one knows what you'll be asked tonight, but if you can answer twenty-one truthfully, you'll win half a million dollars. Sound good?"

Zenith shrugged. "Fine by me."

I continued. "There are six levels of play. The higher up you go, the harder the questions get, but the more money you can earn."

Meanwhile, the money board behind me displayed the following money values in a pyramidal style: the first level at the bottom shaded in purple, the next level up in blue, the third level green, the fourth level pink, the fifth level orange, and the final level at the very top in a distinctly shiny silvery-white glow.

 **$500,000**  
$350,000  
$200,000  
$100,000  
 **$25,000**  
$10,000

"You can quit at any time and take the money you've won up to that point, but once I read a question, you have to answer." You know, like with just about every game show ever. "And don't forget, if you're caught lying just once, the game is over and you lose everything, unless you've passed the $25,000 mark. That's a safety net we've established so you don't drop below that."

"That sounds pretty fair." Good, he wouldn't be protesting should he have lost.

The money board was always pyramidally shaped as it switched over to depicting the progress for a single level. In this case, it was level one. The money value correspondent to the level was displayed at the top of the pyramid, signified by the apparent climbing motion one would have made to reach the top in the first place. This time, all the spaces on the pyramid were very lightly shaded purple to reflect the opening level. The spaces appeared to be completely empty, save for the numbers within them, representing the number of each question.

6 - $10,000  
5  
4  
3  
2  
1

"In level 1, there are six questions. If you answer all six truthfully, we'll give you your first $10,000. Are you ready?"

"Bring it on."

"Very well. Question 0: what's in a name?" This was by no means an official question; I asked it to break the ice, to maybe prepare Zenith for the question I was about to ask. By the many slight peeks I had taken by now, I figured it would crack everyone up. "Who was it anyway, that gave you the name Zenith?"

"I did."

Of course, that by itself could've easily been false.

I nevertheless continued, "Question 1," and read out the question on my card. The full question was also displayed in bold text on the vivid LED board behind him, for the whole audience to see.

 _Did you give yourself the name Zenith because you had forgotten at the time what your previous name was?_

True to my prediction, the audience laughed.

Zenith's response was very short and very prompt: "Yes, yes I did."

To which I remarked, "That was quick."

"But it's obvious, mate."

I shrugged a little. After he gave his answer, the female robotic voice that sounded like Rouge the Bat returned to announce whether the answer had been determined by the polygraph to be true or false.

 **That answer is...**

I highly doubted he had answered no to the polygraph, but had he changed his answer, it also would have used the analysis of his original answer and flipped it to reflect the answer he had given me, and then the voice would've given the flipped analysis. In any event, I bet you can guess the result of his answer here.

 **TRUE**

The audience gave a whole-hearted round of applause. Traditionally it was only because he had told the truth.

"Well..." I continued, for lack of a better segue out of the question, "it was so obvious even the polygraph was ready to admit it."

"Yeah, tell me about it."

"That's one truthful answer down, five more for $10,000, twenty more for half a million." I took a quick peek at question 2, did a brief gasp, and recovered. "You ready for the next question?"

Zenith nodded. "Let's hear it."

I took a deep breath. "Question 2..."

 _Have you ever been diagnosed with a mental disorder?_

The audience collectively gasped in a louder and more pronounced manner. They knew the questions meant business.

But Zenith kept a cool head and swiftly answered, "No I have not."

I stared him down, waiting for him to change his answer. He didn't.

 **That answer is...**

I found my foot tapping impatiently as I awaited the result. I was in for another long night.

 **TRUE**

"Alright." I nodded in slight satisfaction. "Never been diagnosed with a mental disorder, so that's two truthful answers. You do realize that all of these questions aren't gonna be that easy..."

"I know," the red hedgehog opposite me concurred. "Somewhere down the line I can see them getting harder."

"Alright, you're thinking ahead. That's good." I smirked as people couldn't help but laugh. "Question 3..."

 _Do you believe you have an undiagnosed mental disorder?_

The audience continued their ooh-ing charade. Admittedly, I didn't foresee another question about mental disorders coming.

Zenith took a few seconds to himself to answer. I waited with a blank stare, not wanting to influence him one way or another. Believe it or not, I'd actually witnessed several participants failing out in the first three questions.

"I feel like I'm insane in the membrane somewhere, so yes." Oh, boy.

 **That answer is...**

I took a somewhat deep breath in anticipation of the result. Zenith did the same.

 **TRUE**

"Well done, Zenith. You've answered three questions truthfully, and you're halfway to your first $10,000."

I felt I could exhale more comfortably after hearing the confirmation regarding his answer. This was a theme across all participants, as I really did want to see them win a lot of money.

"Do you care to tell me more about that?" I inquired regarding the last question.

"Well, I think there is such thing as a certain developmental disorder characterized by me knowing everything... and yet finding it difficult to interact with others."

"You know everything?" I interrupted in a sarcastic tone. "But, it kinda puzzles me that you'd be hard of communicating..."

"Have you ever seen what it's like?" he snapped. "I wanna say something, but I can't figure out how to put it!"

"Believe me Zenith, that happens to me every show."

He was now practically yelling defensively, "That happens to me all the time!" This needed to stop now.

"Alright, calm your bits."

Suddenly his mouth clamped shut.

"And he actually calmed his bits. Are you sure you have a mental disorder?" Assuming he felt he did, I wondered if he'd ever seen a psychiatrist about it.

"So, I wanna poke into your mind for just a bit. What's it like back at home, walking down the street on any given day, and what do you think of all the people you pass by?" I figured he had become something of a celebrity ever since his service in the infamous Great War, in which some Linkin Park-loving edgelord had almost taken over the world using some glitch-ridden power. Almost.

Notwithstanding my own personal experience, Zenith stayed on topic with his reply: "Most of them, I just try to avoid them."

"Do they recognize you?" I then shouted, "What's wrong with them?!"

"Oh yeah, they recognize me," he uttered, nodding slightly. "They just don't care."

We interrupt our conversation to get on with the game. "Question 4..."

 _Do you get annoyed when you see children?_

Wow. That was pretty deep for being the fourth question.

I noticed he was looking back and forth at the LED-lit floor, then me, then probably the pyramidal money board behind me. Three of the six previously empty spaces were now filled with a deep purple, marking the number of questions he had answered truthfully.

I thought maybe the nerves were already getting to him, until he gave his answer.

"Yes."

 **That answer is...**

This was probably the first point at which he felt some remorse regarding his answer.

 **TRUE**

The fourth space was now also glowing bright purple.

"That's four truthful answers, Zenith. Two more and you got your first $10,000." Now that I'd taken care of that business, I inquired him again about his answer to that question, something I would likely do a lot tonight.

"Most of them seem out of control to me," was his completely normal-sounding reply. "I'm usually minding my own business, either reading a book or listening to music, and if a youngster starts a racket, it disrupts the flow of... you know." No, I don't know. "So when I see one, I'm all 'oh, no'." Oh, no.

"I know a few people who would think the exact same way," I continued, for lack of a better segue away from business. "Your friends and family are here supporting you. Hello guys." I turned away from Zenith and motioned towards the two onlooking creatures sitting on a soft bench that looked like it could support way more people. The audience greeted them warmly as I introduced them. "Why don't you tell us about yourselves."

The maroon-and-gold-furred cat went first. "I'm Bridgette the Cat. I'm Zenith's roommate." She had a tattoo of a big "M" on her left forearm and wore a dark purple shirt. But since she was on television, that was as interesting as it would get. The reaction the audience gave to her self-introduction conveyed a slight feeling that she might have been more than a roommate.

The dark-furred hedgehog sitting next to Bridgette followed suit: "I'm the Ultimate Lifeform himself, but you can call me Shadow." Oh, yes. "Basically I'm his younger brother. The Professor needed a rough draft, after all." Now my face had a bright snicker all over it.

"We're pleased to have you with us tonight. Enjoying the show so far?"

"So far," the slightly ordinary-looking cat concurred, nodding lightly.

Shadow's reply was more dynamic: "When Zenith starts getting the questions that involve me, then I'll think about being entertained."

"You," I pointed towards Shadow. "I like you already." Shadow snickered a little. "So Zenith, where did you go for school?"

"I went to the University of Mazuri."

"No, before that." University would be for another question.

"Chaos High," was his short reply.

"Liked it?"

"Total waste of my time."

The audience's collective response to that remark was full of suspicion, perhaps marked by nobody having heard of such a description about high school. I let him know exactly that before continuing, "Question 5..."

 _During your time at Chaos High School, did you ever call in sick because you wanted to avoid your teachers?_

"Oh, those darn teachers..."

The audience chuckled along with Zenith. Had the quality of high school seriously declined that much? I decided I should find out.

"Bridgette, what do you think his answer will be?"

"Um," Bridgette started in a nervous tone, "he's never told me about those teachers."

"Mm-hmm. And Shadow?"

Shadow just shrugged.

I repeated the question in full to Zenith to get everyone back on topic. His answer surprised me a little.

"That answer is going to be no."

 **That answer is...**

He seemed to be staring in no particular direction while awaiting the result. Maybe he was looking at the money board.

 **TRUE**

Most of the audience indeed liked that result.

"There's two things I want to point out. One, you've proven your dedication to your studies..." I swear that was meant to shed some light on that point, not to poke fun at him for it, "and two, you're up to five truthful answers. Just one more and you've got $10,000."

I then proceeded to finally touch on the biggest selling point of the game: "What does the money mean to you?"

"It's money." Well thank you, Captain Obvious. "It's a cushion."

"Right now you're living in the basement of an apartment building..."

He nodded. Again the audience couldn't help but laugh. At this point I really wanted to chastize them for being so disrespectful.

"Have you ever thought about moving out to like, bigger living quarters?"

"I have, actually. But they never make places for just one or two people."

"You should look into the housing market. You might be surprised what you can find there." This time I waved a finger toward the audience, and they finally stayed silent for a few seconds. "Feeling confident so far?"

"I think so," he replied shortly, nodding lightly. I imagined he was now pretty nervous.

"You answer this next question truthfully, you've got $10,000. But let me inform you that this may be the hardest question you've seen all night."

Continuing his light nodding charade, he muttered, "I think I can handle it."

"This is your $10,000 Moment of Truth, Zenith. Question 6..."

 _Is the promise of money your biggest motive for participating on The Moment of Truth?_

Oh, boy. Something to think about during the commercial break.

* * *

 _Still to come: Zenith will reveal the hidden truth about on what it was like working alongside the Ultimate Mercenary before the war... then, he'll answer the one question everyone wants answered: what really happened to Infinite following his final defeat at the hands of Sonic?_

 _In the meantime, send me a review or a PM with yes/no questions you'd like Zenith to answer. I've already written a stack of 21 questions, but there's a chance I might replace them if I like yours... I've also opened a poll to determine who will be next to face The Moment of Truth. Stay tuned! ;D_


End file.
